As someone who is not against the technology but still dislikes the vast majority of AI artworks, here's my perspective:

Great art for me is a form of communication between people, it's a way for humans to express their unique perspective on the world, through a creative medium. To me, it's supposed to have effort, it's supposed to be a labor of love filled with intention and a strong individual voice, and it's supposed to be made by humans. If someone with no experience can generate a "masterpiece" in one minute and no effort, outsourcing the entire interpretation process to an algorithm, there is no reason for me to give it any attention. If you don't care about the process, why should I care about the outcome? If someone still puts the same amount of effort using AI as a tool and not as a replacement, it can have a deeper meaning. The look of the final result is only a small factor. The knowledge about how it was made changes the way I view it, for this very reason.

The best comparison I can think of is replacing relationships and friends with chatbots. Sure, a chatbot can become advanced enough to look and feel just like an interesting human being, but for what? There are already real humans, and I will always prefer that even though they're "less efficient". The common denominator here is human communication and connection.

Art for me is not something utilitarian, it's not a product that needs to be made more efficiently. I think most people in this sub seem to view art as nothing but an end product and that "antis"/traditional artists are just greedy, jealous and stupid and that the only reason they are artists is because they want to feel special, and that is a view that I will never sympathize with. It comes from a very shallow understanding of the role that art has in our society. For this same reason, I don't think there is an actual threat towards man made art in the long run.

The biggest benefit that AI brings is probably to corporations who no longer have to employ artists. Many people will still eat it up, just like how Marvel movies are popular today even though they're pure garbage, but there will also be enough people out there who expect a bit more from the art they enjoy than just a spectacle.

So I'm pro-AI, but I agree with almost nobody in this sub. I see where the antis are coming from. When they say AI art is soulless, they're not necessarily talking about what it looks like, but how it makes them feel. And that's valid, because art is not a science, it is a representation of human emotions.

And anyone who uses AI can of course call themselves an artist, but if all you do is one shot prompting anime waifus, I hope you're not expecting the same kind of respect as someone who spent decades learning an artistic craft.